The Boss: Bruce Springsteen at Coventry Ricoh Stadium 2016
Any readers of this blog, even the
occasional one, will have probably picked up on my passion for Bruce
Springsteen’s music as reflected in my exhibition titles, writings on his
concerts and records, and various other references from titles of individual paintings
and my peppering of blog posts with references to lyrics and quotes.
A couple of weeks ago I saw him play live
with the mighty E Street Band once again at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena. It was
another amazing performance by the band, this time more stripped down to their
core following the large ensemble, which included a full horn and percussion
section and backing singers, which accompanied the last tour. The pared down
band seemed possessed of a raw force that was at times very moving, always
exciting, and also lots of fun as ever, particularly as the show reached its
three and a half hour climax. One had to wonder as you joined the fifty
thousand fans that drifted out the stadium in a state of euphoric awe and
wonderment, and sheer exhilarated exhaustion, how Bruce does it at each night.
I’ve never been to any gig that becomes such an immersive, emotional experience
such as these. I was nearly in tears when at the start of the gig, after a
lovely opener of ‘For You’ played unaccompanied at the piano, the whole band
joined him onstage to open with ‘Something In The Night’ from ‘Darkness On The
Edge Of Town’. It was an incredible moment as the piano intro started and the
drums rumbled in the song’s slow build-up and Bruce’s howl (link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWZTduaV8vY)
I could hardly believe I was hearing it,
it’s such a great song, and it set the scene and atmosphere with such a
powerful and tense grip that the hairs on my arms literally stood up. And from there you find yourself on this
incredible 3 hour journey, where you really feel you are seeing something
magical and thrilling unfold before your eyes as the setlist is skillfully
built from a heady mixture of requests from the crowd, the popular and more well-known
songs (this time including a blistering ‘Born In The USA’, a real highlight in
a gig full of highlights), covers, and Bruce’s own selections from 40 years of
songs.
Bruce with guitarist Nils Lofgren
I feel so alive at these gigs that it is
difficult to explain in words to the uninitiated, but you can see
it in the sheer and unadulterated joy and love you see in the faces of the fans
at each gig which are frequently projected onto the large screens at the front and side of
the stage throughout, so caught up in the moment. It’s a wonderful and
inspiring sight and testament to the experience.
A few days later I went to a gig by Hugh
Masekela with some friends who had also been to see Bruce at Coventry. We
talked non stop about the concert on the way there, and when we arrived we met
a friend of theirs in the bar who had also been, and for him, despite being a
music nut, this had been his first time at a Bruce gig. On Facebook he had apparently posted, “I
can’t believe it. Why have I never done that before?!!!!”. On meeting him, I
recognized that familiar ‘Bruce glow’ I always have following one of his
concerts. It’s a mixture of warmth, joy and inspiration. I know I go about
these things, but I’m not the only one. Here’s a link to a recent Guardian
article that says pretty much the same as I just have, only better. I should
have just directed you there at the start of this post:
Bruce with Little Steven Van Zandt
And here is a link to one of the best Boss
fan websites, Backstreets, where you can see for yourself the diversity of
Bruce’s setlists and some great accounts of the recent British leg of his
current European tour: http://www.backstreets.com/
Richmond Fontaine
When I return to earth I visit the studio and
listen to nothing but Bruce for the next few weeks (as well as my other new
favourite band, Richmond Fontaine, whose songs seem inhabited by the same sort
of characters in many of Bruce’s songs), re-read ‘The Wanderers’ by Richard
Price, watch lots of Bruce on Youtube (if you’ve not heard his recent Prince
tribute of a cover of ‘Purple Rain’ you must check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XavU8vH1ZLg
), start to read ‘Independence Day’ by Richard Ford, and follow lots of other
Bruce threads and connections from David Simon to Rob Brydon….
...The journey continues...
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